BoddaH1994

It’s the coolest thing that’s new for Winterfest this year that the park seemingly doesn’t want you to know about… but we have the scoop! Learn about the all-new interactive Winterfest Wonder Wand in the latest #TowerTopics! Listen or watch: https://linktr.ee/towertopics Edit: Here is the web site of the supplier, for those interested - https://lightuptoys.com

^ That’s the 2023 version of your dad saying, “look it up” when you asked too many questions as a kid.

It’s working on my end. Is anyone else having an issue? Spoiler alert: Tomorrow’s Tower Topics may or may not recycle a lot of this footage anyway.

Had there not been this thread, or Don’s latest blog, would have this social post existed? My guess is no. Glad we all let them know about the product they sell.

A bit hard when it’s Reach Magazine.

:::Looks at photo::: ::Squints:: ::Looks again:: I know some people would rather be caught dead than actually out in the park, but don’t they know that a LOT has changed since the first year of WinterFest?

I feel like the seats want to kind of tilt you forward, which I find uncomfortable. Once the ride starts moving it does not adversely affect my experience.

Speaking of The Racer… Why was the Backward Racer turned around? Find out once and for all on the latest Tower Topics.

I mean you can ask him, or just listen to the Tower Topics that drops 11/29.

Without spoiling anything… There might be a speaker there who cohosts a podcast about Kings Island and is always willing to field any questions you have… ANY questions that you have.

Yeah, well, boy do I have a comeback for you! The fact that you think the patrons of Kings Dominion should get what was advertised to them when they made their purchasing decision is as adorable as it is predictable. So entitled…

Very cool! I also went there as a small child. It was Santa Claus Land. I don’t remember it. My parents told me that the appeal was that it was Christmas in the summer there. I think a lot of it was the shops and environment and it was much less about the rides. Interesting to see that the dive show has been around that long!

What have you heard? I was under the understanding that they moved on from the “over-promise and under-deliver” phase to the “sucker born every minute” phase.

When Don decided to leave?

More like, “Although we advertised bubbles, we will no longer be offering bubbles with the Winterfest Wonder Wand. Terms subject to change. No refunds.”

I noticed that too! That area looks great!

The fact that you want TWO turtle doves is as adorable as it is predictable. You’re so entitled

Certainly more. 40% more? I don’t know about that. I do believe that they bought 2 million lights; however, I think they threw away at least a million, which is part of the lifecycle of these things. Regardless, the park looks better than it ever has!

I'm going to go ahead and post this here for Chad's copy and paste convenience: https://themeparksbydon.com/new-wonder-wand-kings-islands-winterfests-hidden-gem/

This is going to be painful to say. My experience has been that this works better and does more than Magic Band+. You pull a trigger to active spots (the equivalent of the statues) but it has that extra element of shooting the bubbles. It also worked pretty darn well with the shows. Obviously there is the whole element of RFID with Gene+ and admission that this doesn’t touch, but I’m comparing this to the “+” element of Magic Bands. I don’t think this is for everyone, especially at $29.99, but I do think that it’s neat and interesting. If a ton of people had them at the parade or tree lighting ceremony it would be a really cool effect.

Maybe. They also have the five snowmen on the map that are, “coming soon.” Then again, they could have just listed the light up areas and interactive points rather than advertising that you are only getting 2/3 of the experience, then added the snowmen to the map later. This sort of thing would have been a huge visual for their media day. It could and should have been the angle they took for this year. Instead you got two million alleged additional lights. You can see lights at the zoo. They don’t have anything like this. Just remember, much like pixel mapping, if this goes well it’ll be everywhere next year. Then it’s not special anymore. This was their opportunity. That ship has sailed.

I know you’re joking. But given the current… climate… of our favorite place, along with their apparent decision making process, I should probably respond. ”Although I am flatter at the opportunity to return sanity, effort, and results into the department, I must decline the offer. Thank you for your consideration.” It’s cool, though. I’m sure there will be some sort of content on this now that comms has been made aware of the product.

I’m shocked that this hasn’t been made into a big deal. Kings Island is now selling an interactive “Wonder Wand” for Winterfest. This wand is almost like a mix of Magic Band + and the Harry Potter wands. When purchasing the wand for $29.99 (season pass discounts do apply), you are equipped with a map of various locations through the the park where the wand will interact. There are three types of interactions: 1. Unique Locations 2. Glow Zones 3. Show interactions The map also lists five “Snowman locations” as “coming soon.” No word on what these will be yet. Unique Locations These interact directly with the wand, similar to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter wands at Universal Studios. Some of these locations include: 1. Antique Autos - The light up plastic statues flicker on and off. It seems like it was supposed to play music but doesn’t. 2. Snoopy’s Dog House - Woodstock lights up and Christmas lights turn on and off while playing music. 3. Mystic Timbers - Truck lights up playing Jingle Bells on the horn. Glow Zones: This was similar to Magic Band +. The wand will light up in the colors of the area. For example, in the Ice Princess area (the old Vortex path), the wand lights up blue and white. Similarly, it turns red and white in Candy Cane Lane. Part of the pattern is the variation of the light colors as well as periodically shooting bubbles. IMG_8744.mov Show Interactions Another similarity to Magic Band + is that the wand will interact with certain shows. For both the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Cool Yule Christmas, the wand will periodically sync up with and match the lighting design language. This effect was particularly well-exhibited during the Tree Lighting countdown. IMG_8741.mov Additionally, I was told that it specifically interacts with the Jack Frost float in the Winterfest Wonderland Parade. While true, I believe that the point of having it interact with that particular float was because it is in approximately in the middle of the parade. For about 80% of the viewing time, the wand was synced with the lights in the floats. This includes pretty precise syncing as the floats changed color. IMG_8745.mov The wands are available for $29.99 at the hut under the Eiffel Tower and at the night vending carts. With this, you can enjoy Winterfest in a whole new way! Check it out for yourself!

Isn’t InTraSys owned by Intamin?

What part of 2023 has lead you to believe that there was that kind of forethought put into… anything? And even if so, a well-written blog would have gone far.